#kiku night's flower

[bace-jeleren]

New doodles, the usual suspects, plus Bloomburrow Ral based off this post

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 45 Uh, Seriously?! Posting

So! Full speed ahead it is, internet void! What a dense chapter.

First up, John Hishaku and the Samurai Murderer Guy that was at Chihiro's house in chapter 2.

Guess we'll see more of him soon, how fun! It's not quite clear how many people are talking here, but Hishaku scheming is afoot and the game is on. The only question is how fucked the Kamunabi is going to be by the end of the arc IMO.

And don't think I missed that vase reappearing. My nemesis. The spiky boi on the mid-left drove me insane as soon as the raws dropped but I would like to tentatively propose that it is a kiku (chrysanthemum). Different colors have very different meanings so I still admit defeat on that front. But kiku are usually associated with mourning or Imperial imagery, so that's cool. I demand a treat if this flower arrangement turns out to be the world's subtlest hint that the Hishaku are related to an old regime or breakaway faction of the government.

But yeah... so much cuteness this week. Very welcome after the rich drama from the past few chapters.

Boys who commit patricide together fall asleep mid-conversation wake up together, apparently. And for all the fan artists/fanfic writers out there, it's now canon that both of them are wearing long-sleeved shirts under the other layers. I was kind of hoping for Chihiro to be wearing one of his dad's shirts but this is more in character...

Fine, okay, it's probably for convenience's sake since apparently these guys can only rest for one night before jumping into the lion's den. But I'm flabbergasted by their soulmate coding. I kind of expected Hakuri to pass out, but Chihiro conking out at the same time in the same pose is too damn cute! Barely over a week together and they've already perfectly synced their sleep schedules and postures lol.

I find it deeply amusing that the entire flashback sequence at the end of chapter 44 was purely for the reader's benefit though. Seriously! Hakuri asked Chihiro "So... what comes next?" and then they both immediately passed out sitting up. So the last four pages were there just to spare us from even more infodumping in this chapter, which is much appreciated.

That's something that Hokazono-sensei also did at the end of the vs. Sojo arc in chapter 18. 10 pages to him exploding, 7 to the situation at the Kamunabi (which will now come into play! EXCELLENT LAYERING OF DETAILS!). I don't know if I'm smart or educated enough to do a full analysis on the techniques he's using, but I love the style. He doesn't let the emotional points linger too long or waste a single goddamn panel in this manga. Yeah, I want more time with the characters outside of serious plot moments, but there's not much else for me to complain about. The need isn't particularly dire anyway since every scene is efficient in giving us characterization and info at the same time (example later this rant).

So yeah. Thanks to that excellent pacing decision, we get to witness this crowning moment of heartwarming:

LOOK AT THESE DORKS. LOOK AT THEM. I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE. Thank you for this moment of Team Goldfish x Hiyuki and Tafuku bliss.

And look at the food on the table! Hiyuki and Tafuku have earned a measure of trust with Team Goldfish! Just a bit, but Shiba definitely wouldn't have let them stay the night and eat with them if he felt they were dangerous.

It's also so sweet that Char's comfortable sitting in big bro Tafuku's lap... she's come a long way since her debut as a scared, scruffy orphan. Wonder where the gang is hanging though. Someone's apartment, I guess? A nearby hotel? More insignificant details this annoying reader wants to know...

TW for SF5-era tournament enthusiasts: That Stage appears in the first panel.

Did anyone have bets on Shiba wrecking Hiyuki in Street Fighter while waiting for Hakuri and Chihiro to wake up? I didn't, but I love it. And this scene highlights something I've really come to appreciate about Kagurabachi's writing: it's incredibly efficient. Almost every scene has more than one thing being conveyed at a time. For instance, here we learn that Hiyuki sucks at Street Fighter compared to Shiba but is too stubborn to quit (comedy & character consistency) and still doesn't know he's ex-Kamunabi (serious). This in turn tells us that Shiba's probably got something to hide from active Kamunabi personnel. After all, it's not like the org itself is a secret, and we wouldn't see Hiyuki questioning him twice if his circumstances weren't suspicious. So Shiba's subplot thickens while we laugh at the gag- peak efficiency.

The cuteness, though... the sweetness of this chapter, man!

Chihiro respecting Yuu's nickname and correcting Hakuri with such a gentle expression is incredibly adorable. He's so relaxed here... but oh wait, there's... chibi Hakuri and Chihiro apologizing for worrying Uncle Shiba?!

Chihiro and his new #1 enabler owe more than an apology but it's good enough for now.

This break wasn't quite long enough to reset the tension in my opinion, but it absolutely delivered on character moments. We definitely needed this after all the big feels from the previous few chapters. I wish there was more time devoted to letting us calm down before ramping up again but what we got here is pretty good.

And so we jump feet-first into laying the groundwork for the Kamunabi arc. A nice, efficient recap of the situation leads us into some additional context and a surprising bit of Shiba characterization. Whatever beef he's got with the Kamunabi feels quite personal for a guy who plays it cool and loose most of the time. We know he's glad he quit because they're too uptight, but there's gotta be more to it than that- he's subtly trying to steer Chihiro away from them while Hiyuki is having none of it here. I want to gently snap this man in half to make him spill his secrets...

At the end of the day, though, Shiba's not going to stop Chihiro from joining the Kamunabi. That's been his thing since Chapter 1: if Chihiro makes up his mind to do something, Shiba will offer advice and make suggestions but ultimately leave the decisions up to him. I wonder how much of his guilt over Kunishige's death plays into that...

Then!

PFFT. "I know what I'm doing here seems risky and unwise but It's fine, trust me. I've got Hakuri." OKAY BUDDY. You've been able to do a hell of a lot since you met this kid haven't you? It's like meeting him changed the trajectory of your life as much as you changed his.

Shiba's expression is very interesting to me. He's like "ah, I get it..." and he's not thrilled in the slightest. Adding Hakuri to the team means Chihiro can be even more reckless than ever before; what little influence he had over Chihiro's safety is all but gone now. And Hakuri himself won't try to stop Chihiro from putting his life on the line- he'll risk his own to help him do it! All this while they're poised to go somewhere he probably can't follow... poor Mr. Shiba.

And then!! AND THEN!!!

Chapter 32: Smile Unlocked (once has no meaning...)

Chapter 36: Smile Lost (twice is a coincidence...)

Chapter 38: Locked In (three times is a pattern...)

Chapter 45: Smile Restored (four times is fate)

The one pulling the other forward is always on the right, leading the reader as well.

When one calls, the other answers. What one starts, the other finishes. A and Un. And this time Hakuri echoes Chihiro's "you got it" catchphrase back to him! I hope this is their thing now, like the "How's my timing?/Perfect" bit that Shiba and Chihiro had.

I'm going absolutely insane over this interaction though. It's the first time Chihiro's gotten to hear someone affirm that they'll see things through with him at his own request (on-screen at least). The first time he's outright said he needs someone, even. And of course Hakuri responds so enthusiastically- he's finally wanted. Just a few days ago he thought he'd never amount to anything. But he's got so much hope thanks to Chihiro's faith in him now.

"What I need in my life is a samurai! THAT'S YOU!" is finally answered with "I'm going to need your help again." hnnnngh what in the hell is this chapter.

Platonic, familial, romantic- however you want to see their relationship, these guys are meant to be together. If I ever start to doubt Hakuri's importance again just smack me right upside the head- he's truly Chihiro's other half now. Let's cheer them on and hope nothing horrible happens to Hakuri ever again! Protect the smile of the boy who would die for you on command, Chihiro. You've been warned.

Protected Bearers

Cool stuff ahead, and tough times to go with them. I doubt things will be as simple as Chihiro successfully making his case and being allowed to start trying to Talk no Jutsu the former wielders. This arc seems like it could easily be longer and more complicated than the previous two combined. I kind of hope it is, just to get more time with everyone. I've never loved a cast of characters this much.

That said... In another series I'd be sure Chihiro would visit each area one by one in their own mini arc, but Kagurabachi is probably going to subvert the expectation somehow. We got previews of the areas so we'll be seeing all of them. Probably (we goddamn better after that gorgeous spread showing them off.), but not in the way we'd expect. This story is so fast I kind of expect us to blitz through all of them in a handful of chapters each... guess it depends on how in-depth we get with the bearers themselves.

As we originally saw them in chapter 18. The slightly updated designs from this chapter are pretty nifty.

I'm 100% sure the order they're presented here corresponds with the areas shown on the spread immediately afterwards. So eye scars is stuck in a temple, the girl is stuck in an onsen, kabuki monk guy is stuck in what looks like a floating shrine, and sushi chef is in... a sushi restaurant. Wow shocker.

I'm going to make the assumption that they got to choose where they were imprisoned for the rest of their lives. Maybe it was the government's way of expressing gratitude for helping the war effort? Which makes Magatsumi's wielder (the Sword Master) being sealed up like a nasty curse all the more intriguing... he's clearly fucked up but was he always that way or did the sword corrode his mind? Is there more to the lifelong contract with these swords than just being the only person who can use them? I better get some answers!

Anyway.

So Kunishige personally knew and chose these people... I wonder how meeting them will deepen Chihiro's understanding of his father's legacy. I sincerely doubt that all of them will make it easy for him to recover the blade they're tied to, but we'll hopefully learn a lot while Chihiro makes his attempts. Really seems like we are set up for Kunishige and Seitei War backstory so I am hype. Dead DILF lore! DEAD DILF LORE!

Hiyuki and Kamunabi Thoughts

Hiyuki also had some interesting moments this chapter. She understands that the current stalemate with the Hishaku has tied the Kamunabi's hands for the most part, forcing them to do less than savory things (like bidding on the Shinuchi) to keep the peace. And despite her hotblooded outburst before the auction, she still has rock solid faith in her org's mission. So I don't think she'll defect easily so as long as she believes the mission is doable under better circumstances.

And it seems like she thinks Chihiro might be the right catalyst for change... hmm. She's essentially using him as a chaos agent to shake up the status quo because he proved himself to her. She finds him worthy of deciding how to handle the blades, so now she's giving him and Hakuri the opportunity prove themselves to her leaders. Very cool. There's some rather deep stuff going on with her.

Hiyuki's much more establishment-oriented than her personality and actions suggest. I get the sense that she's there as an idealist who is willing to upset the status quo to see the mission through. A true believer in a bureaucratic institution- love that type of conflict. Can't wait to see more of her in this arc!

So now we're set to see Chihiro's philosophy and methods on trial. Super intriguing stuff and I'll definitely be looking at the questions each Kamunabi leader is asking to try and suss out their allegiance. Playing Guess the Traitor this arc is gonna be a lot of fun (I hope)!

Speaking of which... Azami as the traitor allegations don't move me, but I do think he'll be restricted this arc due to the ongoing investigation into his clandestine activities. Chihiro could well be on his own without an adult to watch out for him. At least he and Hakuri will be there for each other. ...With no one to try and stop them from doing reckless stunts. Uh oh.

So that's a wrap on this fuckhuge ramble. Hope the breakneck pace slows down just a smidge but I'm still very onboard with whatever is coming next. Thanks for allowing me to ramble as always, void.

[incorrect-mtg]

Flavor Text Highlights - Champions of Kamigawa

<- Previous Set | Next Set ->

Kamigawa block is my favorite block when it comes to flavor, so as a personal treat I'm giving this set double the amount of cards!

Cool - Mana Seism | Reach Through Mists

“It is the nature of humanity not to worry about tomorrow, especially when there’s a good chance they won’t live to see the end of today.”

—Kiku, Night’s Flower

“Know one part of the name, obsession begins. Know two parts, paranoia sets in. Know three parts, madness descends. Know all, and only the kami know what will become of you.”

—Lady Azami

Funny - Akki Underminer | Hold the Line

“Deep inside the Sokenzan Mountains, a band of akki discovered a cache of ancient items of power. Their ensuing spree of destruction became known as ‘The Three Days of Fun.’”

—Observations of the Kami War

“Forgive me, Master Kami, but in the interest of my people I must halt your advance.”

Worldbuilding - Unnatural Speed | Eiganjo Castle

“How can we hope to match the speed of lightning? The fury of storms? The power of mountains? The answer is simple. We cannot. I advise against this war.”

—Sensei Hisoka, letter to Lord Konda

Since the war began, the castle’s walls mark the only place on Kamigawa where no kami has ever set foot.

Emotional - Guardian of Solitude | Wandering Ones

“It seemed an easy thing, to step into the nothingness, to fall, to die. But then, for an instant, I saw it, eyes filled with endless sorrow, and I turned back to face my pain.”

—Snow-Fur, kitsune poet

“I saw them once, when I was a child. They led me to my parents’ arms when I was lost. Why have they abandoned me now? Why won’t they take me home again?”

—Unnamed beggar

<- Previous Set | Next Set ->

[sixteenneverends]

BG3 Wedding Season

Thanks @grenanigans for tagging me and giving me an excuse to continue brain rotting! I AM a sorry little sap that can't dress Karlach in white in any playthrough without Kiku cause it gives wedding vibes thanks for noticing. I have recently tried re-romancing Shadowheart in a multiplayer playthrough and it went terribly, cementing Karlach as the forever romance so I would be marrying Karlach. However, I'm answering this in terms of specifically Kiku  because of course I am.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Night Before

I fully believe neither of them would want to be apart the night before because they always want to be together. I do think that they both have this desire to do things the right way though and would make themselves do it. I'm attached to my real life partner at the hip and we did this as well, stayed apart the night before despite wanting to be holding hands all the time every minute of always. I imagine Karlach and Kiku would do what we did and have their respective bachelorette parties the night before and get hotel rooms with their circle of friends. Which with these two would be dividing up the party a bit like drafting for a sports team.

Karlach would get Jahira as dibs as well as Minsc and Wyll. Kiku would have her best friend Kota (my friend's character from their source playthrough). Kota doesn't do well with people and is the forcibly adopted introvert so the party would be smaller. Since Kota is with Kiku, Astarion would be with the Karlach crew. No couples on the same teams for the party business naturally. Kiku would round out her list with Halsin, Shadowheart, Gale, and Alfira. She wasn't particularly close with Shadowheart and Gale but having brain worms together gets you invited. Lae'zel would be with Karlach's group if she could get time away from overthrowing Vlaakith and Dammon would also get an invite.

Karlach's party would likely be drinks and tomfoolery of the physical sort. Arm wrestling in the pub with Minsc as judged by Astarion. Drinking games and perhaps some decorum guided by Jahira and Wyll who would have more knowledge of tradition. Something I think Karlach would actually super appreciate. I can also see them all making a stop to her parent's grave at some point in the night and pouring one out. A loud night of mostly laughter and happy tears shrouded in the glow of golden tavern windows and hellfire.

Kiku's group is a bit more motley but Alfira and Kiku are very entertaining. There would be singing and dancing and wine somewhere just outside the city. A toes in the grass night in the stars sort of evening. Everyone dressed comfortably and casually with some big rugs and lanterns overlooking the water and the skyline of the city. Kiku and Halsin making flower crowns while Gale shows off some pretty spells. Everyone's pets would be invited as well though Shadowheart would have to pick and choose a bit as she ends up with a whole zoo. They'd camp out all night but likely sleep early to make their way back into the city with the sunrise. The twinkling of flutes and costume bells, strumming lutes and glittering moonlight through the trees.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't really have many mutuals yet so I leave this open to anyone who sees it! Please tag me! I love reading about how everyone interacts with the magical world of Faerun and their found family of brain worm survivors. I will probably do more of these even if I'm not tagged.

[yourlocalmeta1head]

Types of pets AOT characters would have

Characters: Erwin, Hange, Miche, Levi, Moblit, Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Connie, Sasha, Jean, Reiner, Bertholt, Yumir, Historia (Christa), Petra, Oluo, Gunther, Eld, Nifa, Abel, Keiji, Tomas, Nannaba, Gelger, Henning, Lynne

Erwin: He'd have a male Chinook dog named Soldier. They're hardworking, which he appreciates, but they're also loyal and family devoted, so that means that they're good with kids. He takes the best care of his dog ever.

Hange: Definitely has a male Leachie Gecko. And a big one. Takes the best care of it and has somehow lived for like 20 years and is still thriving. They named it Bennidect Bartholemu Cambel.

Levi: Hange won him a goldfish at the fair, and they named her Goldie. She's lived for 5 years and is in amazing health. Levi's actually grown to love Goldie a lot, which Hange kind of expected, but Miche and Erwin totally thought he'd give it back to Hange after like a week.

Miche: Has a huge male gray Bouvier des Flandres with longish hair and "bangs" that cover his eyes a bit. He probably named him Sherlock because he has "big locks of hair". Had to have his tail docked months before Miche adopted him, his tail got stepped on and crushed by a cow.

Moblit: Doesn't have a pet cause "Dealing with Hange takes the same amount of work" but he also helps with Hanges lizard because it's high maintenance.

Eren: He has a female African Grey Parrot that he named "Freiheit" which is German for "freedom." He talks to his parrot like it's a therapist. He also gets upset when someone says his Parrot's a girl, and he'll argue back with something like "no, actually he's a guy" even though the parrots a girl.

Armin: He has a male Eastern Box Turtle. He named him Squirt because when he adopted him, the first thing Squirt did was spit water at his face, so Armin thought it'd be appropriate to name him Squirt.

Mikasa: Female Maine Coon named Kiku. Her mother told her that the Kiku flower was her favorite flower and that it's believed the flower can prolong peoples lives.

Connie: Male Hyacinth Macaw he named Destroyer since he thought he (THE BIRD) would be able to destroy anything in its path (A BIRD). He trained his bird to attack anyone he points at while screeching "CA CAW!"

Sasha: Male squirrel she named Squirrelly. She didn't buy him from anywhere. She was literally sitting at the park and a squirrel came up to her and sat with her then followed her, and so she took him home and named him Squirrelly. That was 4 years ago.

Jean: Male Collie named Zeus. He thought Zeus would be a cool awesome name for a dog. He also trained him to chase Eren on his command.

Reiner: Female Boxer he named Rocky. He also specifically tried to find one with unpinned ears and an undocked tail. He takes her on hikes all the time, and she loves them so much.

Bertholt: Male Ferret named Mozuku. He loved to eat Mozuku as a kid, so he named his Ferret after it. Sometimes really late at night he has a dance party with his Ferret, and he definitely has spent hours to teach his Ferret one trick.

Yumir: Female Tarantula named Fang. She loves to scare Reiner with her. Yumir also takes such good care of Fang you'd almost think she loves her more than Historia. It's to the point where if she's at home, she'll take Fang out of her enclosure and just have her on her shoulder while she does stuff like chores or watch TV.

Historia: Female Beagle named Poppy. She dresses her up, and they watch TV together all the time. Sometimes they have "hype moments" where Historia hypes up Poppy by saying stuff like "LETS GO, WE CAN DO IT!!!" and they do it for like 10 min. Poppy is also those dogs that know every trick in the book. Historia has even taught her how to backflip and do hand stands. Poppy can also do a handstand and walk in a handstand.

Petra: Female Norwegin Forest Cat named Camellia. Petra's the type of person who walks her cat, but she loves it. Gives her cat super good food. Literally the happiest cat you will ever meet. Also the sweetest cat ever. Super playful and soooo soft.

Oluo: Male Irish Wolfhound named Captain. Loud as hell. Literally the most talkative dog you will ever meet. Super sweet dog, just very talkative. Also, if you put a bowl of food out in front of him he'll eat like Oluo has been starving him for months. Genital giant. His dog is a literal giant, is not even funny.

(man standing next to dog for size reference on how tall this damn dog is)

Gunther: Female Albino Ferret named Xiomara. When he was looking at ferrets, the people working there told him how Xiomara was turned down for adoption so many times the owner wanted to claim her as "unadoptable", and he was confused when he heard the reason was because of how she looked. But he thought the contrast of her red eyes to her white fur looked super cool, so he adopted her and named her Xiomara, and she's been his best friend ever since. He takes her everywhere is loves her so much, it's adorable.

Eld: Female Duck Tolling Retriever named Penelope. She has total attachment issues. They're basically attached to each other. Eld is going to the bathroom? So is his dog. She also does so many tricks and is so polite. And she attends doggy daycare, and lets just say she may be the teacher's favorite.

Nifa: Female hamster named Sunny. She's a total troublemaker. The food she's eating? Stole it right off Nifas plate. She eats clothes if you don't pay attention to her, she's escaped her cage, she almost drowned herself because Nifa fed her 2 minutes late. If your finger gets too close to her mouth, she will bite you.

Abel: Male Brussels Griffin named Scrappy. Will eat ANYTHING. You left the toothpaste out? That's Scrappys toothpaste now. You forgot your shoes? NVM those are Scrappys shoes. Also wears dog shoes every time he goes out.

Keiji: Female Pointer named Coco. She is the sweetest dog ever. Super gentle, doesn't bite, doesn't scratch, not aggressive, while all the other dogs are outside play fighting Coco's right next to Keiji. Whether it's her laying on the floor, her laying next to him, or her laying on top of him, most of the time Coco is with Keiji. Sometimes he even puts her outside to play with the other dogs because he's so attached to him.

Tomas: Female Texas Heeler named Luna. She's also a super sweet dog. She's also very, very energetic. If you get up even for one second, she'll get so excited. Luna's one of those dogs that will not stop spinning in circles. And every time you see her, she's panting as if she just ran the longest dog marathon ever. If you ask Tomas what she's like when they get home, it's normally the same story how she just is so exhausted she can't do anything.

Nannaba: Female Ferret named Phoebe. Very very energetic and loves to do tricks. She will climb everything. Walls? Climb. Fence? Climb. Furniture? Clime. YOU? CLIMB. Loves cuddling so much, she gets pissed if you get up while she's asleep. Also eats hair. She even eats Nannabas hair, and she has pretty short hair. One time in the winter Miche was growing out a beard for a dare and Phoebe started eating it while he was staying the night at Nannabas.

Gelger: Male rat named Rocket. Rocket is the craziest laziest rat ever. Sometimes Gelger has to hand feed Rocket his food cause he's too tired to get up, then 5 min later he's running around all over the place and sliding everywhere. He also poops soooo much. Gelger even took him to the vet once because he got nervous that something was wrong with Rocket because of how often and how much he would poop. Turns out he just poops a lot. When they go to other peoples houses Gelger has to put Rocket in a diper because hes worried about him pooping everywhere.

Henning: Male Cane Corso named Butch. When he adopted Butch he wanted a Cane Corso that still had it's tail and who didn't have cropped ears. Butch is so scary when you first meet him, but then he becomes the most lovable dog ever. He gives the sloberist kisses and is always drooling, but that's ok. Super strong. He's knocked over the whole barbecue grill before.

Lynne: Female Rabbit named Daisy. The sweetest bunny you will ever meet omg. She never gets in the way of anything and is even potty trained. She always shows off her tricks and is very proud of it. One time she even did a back flip but got scared when everyone cheered. Very unpridectible. One time it was getting late and everyone realized they haven't seen Daisy for a while so everyone was freaking out and when they checked outside Daise was sitting on top of an Opossum.

[the-bar-sinister]

Deicide (2627 words) by thesavagesabretooth

Summary: Realizing something is very, very wrong after the fight with Kaidou, Luffy seeks out Robin for comfort and advice. What he tells her is unsettling.

Luffy is hearing the voice of a god, and he wants it out of his head.

-

The dust was settling, literally, on the end of the New Onigashima Plan– all of the lead-up and preparation culminating in one long night now already three days behind them. The Straw Hats had been resting in the capital all that time, and it was only earlier in the day that Robin had heard that their captain and his faithful swordsman had awakened.

She’d excused herself from chattering with Otama and Shinobu, smoothing her kimono as she stood and made her way through the familiar halls of their temporary residence deep within the Flower Capital.

She knew where the captain had been sleeping, though she hoped he hadn’t up and left already in his charmingly manic way. She entertained the idle thought of him hollering for meat as he raced through the capital streets, startling housewives and guards alike.

“Heheh…” She giggled into her balled fist “though it’s a pipe dream.” The battle three days prior had taken a lot out of him…even Luffy’s high spirits had a limit. 

In fact, she found him exactly where she had left him. Except instead of fitfully sleeping, having been attended by servants with damp clothes, he was voraciously eating as she imagined– attended by servants now laden instead with platters full of meat.

He paused mid bite to wave at her when he saw her approach.

“I see you found something to sate your voracious appetite, Captain.” Robin gave him a thin smile, her eyes briefly closing joyfully as she sat opposite him. “Good. They had to stop you from sleep eating three times according to O-Kiku.” 

Luffy swallowed and smiled, shaking his head. "I can't help it, I'm hungry, you know? It took a lot out of me!"

There was a twinge at the edge of the captain's bright smile that Robin didn't usually see.

“It was one of our toughest yet.” She agreed as a hand bloomed beside her captain to steal a piece of meat on the bone and pass it to herself, pointedly visible just out of the corner of his eye. “One of the most difficult too…I can tell you agree.” 

Luffy gave her an exaggeratedly betrayed look and his hand shot out to snatch the meat from her– stopping just short of 'managing'. He stuck his tongue out at her.

"Yeah, it was rough alright…."

The door slammed open at the back of the room, and Usopp hollered. "Luffy's awake!" More of the crew were behind him, too.

Luffy shook his head and smiled at Robin. "Maybe we can talk about it later?"

Robin raised the meat as several arms all shrugged at once, a long-suffering smile on her face “whenever we manage to peel away from the pack, Luffy. Let’s.”

Nami leaned in, the small ornaments in her hair jingling as she grinned from ear to ear. “it’s about time you woke up, you lazy excuse for a captain!” 

Luffy nodded to Robin quite seriously, and then his grin broadened, looking up at Nami. "Did you miss me that much? You could have come to nap with me!"

“And wind up a victim of your octopus arms? No thanks!” Nami teased back.

The party atmosphere really kicked off in the room, much to the servants' decorous surprise, and perhaps dismay.

Robin laughed into her hand, soft and pleased as she watched the chaos unfold. The Straw Hat crew never changed– and while she never reached quite the raucous heights her crewmates did, she was a part of the celebration all the same, even as her mind lingered on the raid on Onigashima and the difficult truths within.

-

It was almost a full day later– full of food and excitement and chatter about the upcoming festival that the capital was throwing for all the heroes– when Luffy finally came and found her alone. In fact, he took her by surprise as she was walking down a corridor taking a breather. The rubbery length of an arm snaked out from between sliding tatami doors, and tugged her toward the room.

Robin stumbled, skidding somewhat against the polished floorboards, before she allowed him to reel her in like a fish on a hook.

“Oh dear. I’ve been caught. I hope I’m not filleted.” she drawled in wry good humor.

Luffy beamed widely at her as he pulled her into a room full of cushions and low shelves that was probably someone's reading room and closed the door behind her.

"You know me, I just eat the fish whole," he teased. Whether or not he meant this suggestively, or just literally was unclear.

Three arms bloomed to loop around him as she let herself fall on the cushions by his side. “My, my. And here I thought that appetite would take a few more days to come back in force.” 

The captain wrapped his stretchy arms fully around her and more so, falling into the pillows with her. "I run on my appetite, you know?"

At least she could be certain whatever was on his mind wasn't enough to completely take away his usual cheer.

Robin leaned her head against his shoulder, her arms looped around him as tightly as his were around her. It was comfortable, the strange– and often alarming to outsiders– way that they could embrace with their powers.

“That you do. Most would wonder if it was the only thing on your mind….but not me.” she winked. 

"Most people don't think I have much room for anything else," he laughed. "I mean, they're not completely wrong but I have a few thoughts bouncing around sometimes!"

He nuzzled his nose against hers, his bright smile again tempered by something deeper and distracted.

Robin’s sharp nose brushed gently against his, her bright and serious eyes glancing up to meet his distracted stare. She shifted, and gently kissed the edge of his lips. “I can hear a few of them bouncing around even now. Clonking around in there.” 

Luffy nodded almost seriously. "You can hear them, huh? Not surprised."

“Loud and clear. It’s like they’re playing tennis in there.” Yet another hand bloomed, and reached up to start petting his hair from its spot on his shoulder. “A lot of very strange things happened, didn’t they?” 

He nuzzled his fluffy dark hair against her extra hand and nodded, biting his lip. "Yeah, a lot of strange things." He paused for a moment, and his dark eyes were distant and unreadable. "You saw me while I was fighting at all?"

Robin nodded slowly as her fingers traced through his hair. “Mmhmm. After I was finished saving Sanji from Black Maria. There were holes in the ceiling from where you and Kaidou were fighting…I caught a glimpse of something I couldn’t quite believe.” 

His voice was soft, and his question more hesitant than any question that usually came out of him. "...What did you see?"

“A blaze of white and the bonds of the natural world breaking and warping…far more than a devil fruit should warp its fabric,” she mused. “I saw something that looked like you, but not…quite…handling the King of Beasts Kaidou as if he were a toy.” 

Luffy nodded, his usually grinning mouth a firm line. "Something changed. It wasn't like my gear transformations. I know what's happening when I do those. It's hard to remember what even happened…"

“You don’t remember?” Robin asked with genuine surprise. “...I didn’t see the whole fight, but I saw enough for it to be properly burned into my memory, Luffy.” 

"I remember parts," he said, his soft jaw held tense, and sharp. "A lot of it even but… Robin…"

She watched him run his tongue over his teeth as he hesitated to continue.

Her fingers cupped his chin, rubbing along his jawline as she watched him with the slightest furrow of her brow “....Luffy. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

He leaned into her touch, his whole body clinging to her, as tense as he ever got. "I know. But I want to make sure I say the right thing. Like, what I mean. It's… some of it didn't feel like me."

Robin’s expression grew tight. “...not…like you, Luffy?” 

"Like it was somebody else's ideas in my head," he said, the line of his mouth twisting and curling like he'd sucked a particularly difficult lemon. He seemed to grapple with exactly how to say what he meant. "I… it… they? It made me want to share the meat."

Robin knew what that meant. Her eyes widened as the implications bloomed in her mind. “They wanted you to be a hero?”

She’d heard of Zoan users slowly losing themselves to the will inside their devil fruits before. Upon awakening they’d be taken by the animal impulses and the metaphysical implications of the creature they had become. It was well documented– and a genuine threat if one didn’t have the willpower to control it.

But that was only the Zoan. Paramythia, Logia…they had no wills to overwrite you with. They were power, bringing you closer perhaps to a metaphysical concept, or in line with the metaphorical ideal of the fruit, but not changing who you were. 

He nodded solemnly. "Yeah. That was the feeling. And I think… it felt like I should kill Kaidou. That that was what would be…. best. Most heroic, I guess."

Robin shuddered against him. Kaidou was a man who had to be stopped, that much was true. His plan for taking over Wano–his ‘law of the jungle’ philosophy–the cruelties he perpetrated around the country of Wano in pursuit of his goals all spoke to that.

But she couldn’t help but imagine herself there, back in Alabasta with all she had done in the name of Crocodile, a man she still felt the twinge of fond feeling for, a man who she gladly helped up until the worst case scenario. She couldn’t help but imagine her Captain killing her and Sir Crocodile for their sins.

It’d be the heroic thing to do, perhaps.

“And this…presence…in you wanted to take the most heroic option and kill him? How strong was the urge?” 

He bit his lip. "I had to resit it. That was when I realized something was wrong. That it wasn't… me. It was like it was guiding me, but when it wanted to kill Kaidou, I remembered Speed telling us about his past, you know?"

It had been more than a week ago. Luffy had been the one to ask, and Speed had answered. Afterward, Robin had seen Luffy skipping stones on the pond quietly with Zoro standing nearby, neither of them speaking.

She knew exactly why. There was a sort of dark mirror in King and Kaidou, one that Luffy most assuredly knew well. She’d learned enough about the early days of the Straw Hats to see that. She’d watched the two for a long while before she gave them their privacy to interrogate the former Beast Pirate herself much to Otama’s frustration.

“And you were able to fight it off.” It was most assuredly an it. Whatever it was, the devil fruit or some kind of hideous possession from a yet unknown power, if Luffy had to fight it to finish the battle his way there was something deeply wrong. 

He nodded again, pressing his cheek heavily against one of her arms, squishing himself to her. "Yeah."

“Can you hear anything now trying to get you to share the meat?” She pet his hair, lovingly and tenderly as her many arms held him close. 

He nuzzled her arms again, shaking his head. "No, it's not there any more, I can't hear it. I think it was… whatever happened. The white stuff. Gear five."

“Gear Five.” she mused “which seems to be phenomenal power at a steep price.”

Her head rested against his “...Luffy, I’m concerned about what might happen if you use it again.” 

Luffy pressed his face into her neck, and twisted so that he could barely get his muffled reply out. "Me too."

Her arms squeezed him tighter. “I don’t understand why you’re starting to feel it, either…do you think it’s tied to your devil fruit like gears two through four?” 

"I don't know." He chewed thoughtfully on one of her arms for a moment. "If it was, I never noticed it before. And I practiced them a lot."

She let him chew all he wanted, soothing him with her fingers as her eyes narrowed in thought. “but this washed over you?” 

"Yeah," he nodded. "I was at my limit and it just… kind of came over me."

In a moment of weakness, when his willpower was eroded by the long and brutal fight…it took him and tried to turn him into a hero. Robin’s lips grew tight. 

“....” Her fingers dug a little into Luffy as she took several soft, sharp breaths. 

He clung to her tightly, his own fingertips digging into her in return. "I don't wanna be a hero, Robin. You know?"

“If you were a hero, you wouldn’t be our Luffy, captain,” he whispered back, clinging tighter. “...the man who saved me from my darkness wasn’t a hero– he was a pirate. A wonderful, silly pirate in a ridiculous straw hat…who understood that sometimes you have to be selfish...” 

Luffy looked up at her with his wide, dark eyes and nodded quietly. "I knew you'd understand. I don't… want to scare anybody with this stuff, but I'm worried, Robin. It scared me."

She kissed his forehead firmly.

“It’s scaring me too. But we’ll figure it out. I’ll see if I can research it, Luffy. If anything like this came up in my research into the past, or any of it.” She smiled down at him “...you know me. I’m hard to scare. I’m the scary one, right? ..I won’t let whatever this is take you.”

His bright smile returned to his face only slightly shadowed with worry, and he pressed his forehead to hers. "You're my scariest friend. And that's saying something."

“I’ll take it as a compliment then, captain.” Robin chuckled richly, her fingers finally loosening on him. “Maybe I’ll scare this thing out of you.” 

He squeezed her tightly once more and then loosened his own stretchy grip. "I bet you could. But… thank you. Just for listening."

Robin could guess why it had been her that he told, and not the rest of the crew. Luffy wasn't someone who liked to admit fear, not as a man, and not as a captain. She was the one that he trusted with that fear, and trusted that she wouldn't say anything to the others.

It reminded her in a way of someone else who had once trusted her with some of his fears– though he wouldn't have used the word trust. Rather, he probably would have said he allowed himself the risk of burdening her with his thoughts.

Crocodile.

She gently thumbed Luffy’s nose, playfully as she smiled. “You know you can talk to me any time, Luffy. Your secrets are my secrets, after all.”

Nostalgia…that was the feeling that filled her chest as she smiled down at him. Nostalgia for those days in Alabasta when Crocodile ‘burdened her with his thoughts’. His concerns, doubts and anxieties about the plans to come…in some ways, Luffy and Crocodile weren’t as different as their conflict made it appear.

And just as she felt during those hot Alabastan days, so too now did she feel the warm swell of affection as she took her Captain’s anxieties to hold and help him carry their weight. 

"I know." 

Finally, Luffy's smile had returned to full strength, worry departed as it was shared.

-

Note: This is very much meant as the beginning of a longer piece, but it stands on its own for the moment as a one-shot. Thank you for reading! <3

[longingpolaris]

a quiet moment

pairing: asakiku | word count: 538

"So, when can you come by?"

"Hmm..." The sound of dishes clattering against each other as they were placed to dry echoed through the call, punctuating Kiku’s musings. "I'll have to check, but I think I'll be free next week. Is that okay with you?"

"I think next week is fine, yeah," Arthur replied, quickly glancing at his calendar. There were days circled in the following week– he was actually busy, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be rescheduled. Surely. "We should do something. If the weather is nice, that is."

Kiku chuckled softly as he took notice of the antsy edge in Arthur’s voice. "Do you want to go to that restaurant again?"

"No, I was thinking of something more... outdoorsy. It's almost spring."

"お花見とか?"

"Maybe, I don’t know…” Arthur hummed as he absentmindedly twirled his fork around his food. Looking through the window, all he could see was grey– both the sky and the buildings, an almost shapeless grey mass. It was all so dull and depressing… and suddenly going out to see flowers seemed truly appealing. “Actually, that's brilliant. You stay there and I'll go. There's nothing to do here anyway."

"Don't be mean to yourself," Kiku jokingly scolded, "There's plenty of things to do at your place. But if you want to come, that's fine."

"I'll be there on Monday."

Kiku nodded, and although Arthur could not see it, he imagined it when no verbal answer came, and with that, they fell into silence. Arthur ate and mindlessly scrolled through social media while Kiku washed the rest of his dishes, as if they had simply forgotten to hang up once the conversation died out.

But they definitely did not forget.

It may seem wasteful to spend hours on the phone not talking, but they only ever hung up when it was absolutely necessary. That's because, even through the phone, the comfort of a silent presence was always welcome.

The opening and closing of kitchen cabinets and the sound of cutlery scratching against the plate filled the otherwise silent, cold space around them, and it felt as if they weren't really alone.

It was as if their houses were neighbouring apartments, separated only by thin walls instead of the ten thousand leagues of clouds and waves of reality. Momentarily, the longing eased and gave way to a numbing sense of tranquillity.

“Tokyo is too crowded, we should go somewhere else,” Kiku suddenly said, having just remembered how unpleasant a busy metropolis could be.

"True… Why don't we go to your house? The one in Kanazawa."

"That would be nice. I haven't been there in a while."

After minutes passed without either of them saying a word, the dreaded moment that had been creeping up on them finally arrived. Kiku finished washing the dishes and Arthur finished his lunch, which meant that they would have to hang up.

As much as they would like to spend the entire afternoon/night talking to each other, they had matters to attend to, especially if they wanted to have free time next week.

Goodbyes were little more than quiet, loving mumbles, questions about what the other would be doing the next day followed by a soft “see you soon...”

[basedkikuenjoyer]

The Akazaya start a tennis team, what are each of their special moves?

Okay...you know I'm gonna have to take this one way too seriously to the point it's uncomfortable for most of the audience or actually really fun.

See, first we need to understand two things. One, the Akazaya are used to using melee weapons. So ball-and-bat sports of any stripes are in their wheelhouse. Two, they are fiercely competitive with each other. So if we assume the type of team match structure like in Prince of Tennis...

Kiku/Kawamatsu: Second doubles team. The gang likes to lead with a nice, likely win to set the tone and these two are a phenomenal pair. Like Kikumaru/Oishi they're good at the Aussie Formation. Just like in real life, Kiku sits up at the net doing the work of two people with her speed and ridiculous reach...and Kawamatsu is the best at noticing when she's stretching herself too thin. Kiku's specialty is headgames, a big windup that can be absolutely smashing the ball but she can also pull back last second to have it just plop on the other side of the net. Calls it the Fainting Flower. Kawamatsu has his Tsuppari Smash...palms a racket for a sumo thrust that's just a freakin laser.

Kin'emon/Denjiro: First doubles. Kin is a lucky fuckup and Denjiro best knows how to capitalize. Kin's two-sword style makes him a gifted ambidextrous player. But he's not the quickest thinker so he focuses on the serve. His special one is the Foxfire Slice. Flame makes it hard to tell which direction it'll bounce. Denjiro...very skilled. Type to have something like the Tezuka Zone. A defensive pattern where he can really control his opponent. The two will also use Kin's fruit for shenanigans.

Ashura Doji: He had to work really, really hard late nights with Kiku to learn how to hit the ball gently enough it doesn't go out. Third singles, absolute bully on the court. His specialty? Smashing it at his opponent. Always thought tennis was lowkey hardcore for that being a feasible strategy.

Toki: Second singles. She was there when the game was invented. Always seeks it out and was the one who introduced it to Wano. It's a perfectly proper game for a noblewoman to play. She relies on a very refined shot she takes way too much pleasure in naming Togen Topspin.

Raizo: The star, he gets fair treatment in some of these. First singles, doesn't need his fruit to do this but he's the copycat player. Loves beating people with their own moves. Unfortunately, unlike Prince of Tennis's Hiroshi...this does not land Raizo a female fanbase.

Oh...and Neko/Inu. Look, nature wins out sometimes. You can't be good at tennis if your first instinct is to pounce on the ball & bat it around or chomp down and bring it back to your opponent.

[flowerycharacterslist]

↑ ↑ ↑

The tournament is up there, with the rules, my open askbox etc.

Names' ideas from the characters list below (they're examples I've gathered or you submitted, THIS ISN'T A LIST OF CONFIRMED CONTESTANTS. If you want them in the bracket you have to submit them) :

Acerola, Aerith, Ainsley, Almond, Althea, Alyssa, Alyssum, Amaranth, Amarantha, Amaryllis, Amy Rose, Ananas, Anemona, Anemone, Angel Lily, Angelica, Angélique, Anthea, Anthy, Apple Bloom, Araluen, Arum, Asami, Ash, Ashleigh, Ashley, Aster, Artremisia, Ayano, Azalea, Azami

Basil, Begonia, Belladonna, Bellossom, Berry, Bloom, Blooms, Blossom, Bluebell, Botan, Bougainvillea, Briar Rose, Briony, Bryony, Buttercup, Byakuren

Calanthe, Calla (Lily), Camellia, Campion, Carmilla, Carnation, Cassia, Cedar, Celandine, Cerise, Cherry, Cherry Blossom, Chloe, Chrysanthemum, Clove, Clover, Cosmo, Crocus, Cucumber, Cynthia

Dahlia, Daisy, Dandelion, Daphne, Daphnes, Delphine, Delphinium, Dendro, Dendrobium, Diantha, Dianthus

Eglantine, Elanor, Erica, Erika

Fearne, Fields, Ficus, Fig, Fleur, Fleur de Lis, Fleur-de-Lys, Flora, Florence, Flores, Flower, Flower in the Night, Flowey, Flox, Forsythia, Foxglove, Fuchsia, Fuji, Fujiwara, Fuuka

Gardenia, Garlic, Gentian, Geranium, Gladiolus, Gladion, Goldmary, Guzma

Hana, Hanadera, Hanajima, Hanako, Hanami, Hanasaki, Haruka, Hau, Hazel, Heather, Hemlock, Hibiscus, Hinata, Holly, Hollyhock, Hollyleaf, Honeysuckle, Hortense, Hortensia, Hua, Hyacinth, Hyacinthe, Hyacinthus

Iantha, Ianthe, Ibaraki, Iolanthe, Iris, Itsuki, Ivy

Jacinda, Jaskier, Jasmine, Jessamine, Jessamy, Juniper

Kalen, Kalina, Kanon, Kasen, Katniss, Kiku, Kikyo, Kiryu, Kiwi, Kugisaki, Kukui, Kuroba

Laura, Laurel, Lauren, Lavender, Leif, Lemon, Lian, Liana, Lilac, Lili, Lilia, Lilian, LilianaLilium, Liliya, Lilja, Lillian, Lilliana, Lillie, Lillium, Lilly, Lily, Lime, Linnea, Lusamine, Lychee

Magnolia, Mallow, Mandelstam, Maple, Margaret, Marguerite, Marigold, Marlowe, Meadow, Mei, Mentha, Miki, Mimosa, Mint, Minty, Momo, Momoka, Moobloom, Myrrh, Myrrha, Myrtle

Nadeshiko, Narcissus, Nasreen, Nemona, Nepeta,

Orange Blossom, Orchid

Padma, Padmé, Pema, Peasley Peony, Pepper, Periwinkle, Pervinca, Petunia, Pimpernel, Plumeria, Poppy, Posey, Posy, Potpourri, Primrose, Pumpkinhead

Quince

Ran, Rapunzel, Raspberry, Ren, Riko, Ringo, Roisin, Rosa, Rosalie, Rosalina, Rosalind, Rosaline, Rosamund, Rosalyne, Rose, Rosella, Roseluck, Rosemary, Rosemaster, Ronsencrantz, Rosethorn, Rosetta, Rosie, Rosita, Rozaliya, Rue

Sage, Saki, Sakuko, Sakura, Salvia, Samantha, Seagrass, Sensui, Sequoia, Smilax, Sour Grapes, Sprig, Spruce, Strelitzia, Sue, Sumire, Sumireko, Susan, Susannah, Susie, Suzanne, Sweet Grapes, Sylvester, Sylvia, Sylvie

Tamar, Tamara, Tansy, Thalia, Thistlefoot, Thorn, Toph, Tsubaki, Tsubomi, Tulip, Turnip, Twoflower

Utena

Vanilla, Vasily, Venus, Veronica, Viola, Violet, Violetta

Whitley, Willow, Wisteria,

Xion, Xochitl

Yasamin, Yasmin, Yasmina, Yotsuba, Yuri

Zara, Zahra, Zinnia, Zisu, Zhou Xu

[my-plastic-life]

Spring has officially sprung! While the temperatures are still mostly cool in my area, a highly anticipated event in Japan has already begun. For the first time in three years due to the coronavirus outbreak, Japanese parks are open for the annual cherry blossom festival.

In Japan, the ancient tradition of enjoying the beautiful but ephemeral blossoms of cherry trees is called hanami, which literally means “flower viewing.” Today, people from across Japanese society congregate under the cherry trees to informally enjoy food, drink, and perhaps music with family, friends, or coworkers while sitting on plastic sheets or picnic mats spread upon the ground.

Customary foods include bento box lunches, hanami dango (sweet tricolored dumplings), and sakura mochi, an iconic confection of pink sticky rice filled with red bean paste and covered with a pickled cherry leaf.

In some locations, the trees are lit with floodlights or lanterns when darkness falls, and the party goes on well into the night. This is called yozakura, or “night sakura.”

This event typically begins in late March to early April, though this year there have been several reports of early blooms. I hope to one day see this festival, but for now, Kiku will enjoy it! She's staked out a spot to gaze at the delicate pink and white flowers, and she's enjoying some sakura treats as well (including the dango)!

Staking out a spot:

Gazing at the beautiful sakura and enjoying the dango:

Time for some sakura snacks!

[lespapillions]

Kamigawa reskin of Kiku, Night’s Flower

[bace-jeleren]

Always seem to suffer from artblock after I finish a sketchbook. Behold me struggling to pick my ass off the ground.

[dawnrose99]

Alfred,arthur,gaul,feli,romeno,mathew,yao,kiku,antonio,ludwig

as y/n was walking down the aisle looking at the empty side of the podium that was supposed to her family but they disowned her since she came out she was dating a country in which they saw unnatural so he made her drop them in which she gladly did for him since she lost her will to fight him she decided to abide by their rules.

 As she arrived down the aisle with her boss handing her off to her now husband. As she looked at her husband with a fake smile as he gently grabbed her hand and made her stand in front of him as they priest look at her and said’ ma’am your oath’ she clear her throat and said’ As i stand here as ________ wife i promise to abide by his rules, i promise to cherish him as he promise to protect me and cherish me as much i do’ as she said her oath as looked her husband in his eyes he said’ i abide’ and then shuts up and looked at her as his pt2 and him are one.

 As she smiled at them then the priest looked at the crowd that held no objection and said’ she said her oath and promised to leave her old life behind and now will the groom pick up his fated and take her away’ he nodded and picked y/n up and walked down the aisle. As she giggled happily and he chuckled and said to her ear’ y/n you’re mine’ and she nodded and grabbed him and made them face her and said’ baby i’m yours and your pt2 to since we are married’ he nodded and put her down as she throws her flowers and g/n2 caught them and waved at her and blushed at russia as he growled and grabbed her.

 y/n nodded at her husband as he talked to his boss one last time before they went on their honeymoon. As she enter the car and waited the driver winked at her and that made her uncomfortable so she said loudly where her husband heard her’ STOP STARING YOU CREEP’ as her husband rip open the doors and looked at the drive with deadly looked in his eyes she stopped him by saying’ ____ baby look at me’ he looked at her and said’ y/n baby you alright’ she nodded and said’ yes baby he’ll stop if he has a half a brain’ the driver nodded and said' yes ma'am’  her husband nodded and said’ you better’ to the driver.

 y/n sat beside her husband and held his hand as she ignored the driver as he tried to ignore _____ death glare.

 As they got to the airport and got out. y/n stretched her arms out and looked at_____with love in her eyes and said’ i will abide baby’ and helped him. As he sat her arm around her waist then settled for her hand as she walked them to the private plane and took off to wherever she wanted to go since she spoke first. As she smiled at the man married and he held her hand through out the trip and told her how she belong to him at night as he took her with no mercy at night

[reuxben]

Here’s our MTGinktober for “Bluff,” starring Kiku, Night's Flower and Atris, Oracle of Half-Truths! Fingers crossed that breaking up isn't more like slicing up.

Click this post’s Source link for this piece’s Making-Of.

More MTGinktober here.

Daily art updates on Instagram and Twitter.

Reuxben

[electronicdelusionstarlight]

A Family can be a cocky mage sugar baby to the Goddess of the Night, his warlock shrek boyfriend who really likes to hug him, a dark flower witch who wants nothing to do with them, and their rat gang lord friend who got dragged into it, and that's beautiful.

[sworntolight-a]

♡ snow!

Send me a ♡ and a word for a headcanon!

Despite traveling all over, Mako isn’t too much a fan of the bitter cold that comes with snow… But she is a fan of the fluffy white stuff, itself. Mako is one of the first you’ll find out and about in the morning after a fresh snowfall, building snowmen, little snow houses, snow rabbits, starting snowball fights - If it can be done in snow, she’s there to do it! By the afternoon, you’re bound to find a trail of footprints from the excited teen all across a landscaped dotted with her creations, and in the evening she’s the easiest to spot by the window with a cup of cocoa, looking out at the snow and how it glitters under streetlights and even starlight.

She’s never admitted it to anyone but herself, but under the light of the moon and stars, Mako believes the snow looks like diamonds, and absolutely loves how everything seems to sparkle under it. Even if she’s not a fan of bitter cold… It’s worth dealing with just for that.

On the other hand, Kiku is far more used to the cold, and even likes it, though this is also partially because she’s not only grown up sea side, but because her best friend is a human heater and constantly allows her close to his side. However, despite loving the snow and the cold and winter as a whole, Kiku’s less likely to run around in it like Mako would. Instead, Kiku’s favorite part of snow is the smell of a fresh snowfall and the quiet it brings, both rather odd favorites she’s sure would get her both funny looks and questions if she mentioned them. She’ll still get out for a snowball fight and snow angels, and even build an army of snow people if she has time, but Kiku vastly prefers to sit by the window with a book, or simply stand out in the snow with her eyes closed and savor the peace.

Of course, if she gets a tug on her hand and a request to go play in it, how can she possibly say no?